The United States has issued a urgent call for Thailand and Cambodia to immediately cease hostilities following a severe escalation of border clashes that have now entered their third consecutive day. The conflict has resulted in a confirmed death toll of at least ten individuals and triggered the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians from border communities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that both nations must adhere to de-escalation protocols established in a peace agreement brokered by President Donald Trump last October. In a notable statement, President Trump himself declared he would personally ‘make a phone call’ to mediate an end to the violence, marking the most serious military confrontation since July’s deadly clashes.
The neighboring countries have exchanged accusations regarding responsibility for reigniting hostilities, which have involved aerial bombardments and sustained artillery exchanges. Official figures indicate seven Cambodian and three Thai casualties, while Thailand has evacuated over 400,000 people compared to Cambodia’s relocation of approximately 100,000 civilians to safety.
Thailand’s Defense Ministry characterized its military actions as ‘limited in scope and employed as a last option,’ asserting that ‘peace must come with the safety and security of our citizens.’ Conversely, Cambodia has accused Thai forces of launching ‘aggressive military attacks’ allegedly targeting civilian infrastructure and culturally significant temples along the disputed frontier.
The diplomatic fallout extended beyond military engagement as Cambodia announced its withdrawal from the Southeast Asian Games currently hosted by Thailand. The Cambodian National Olympic Committee cited ‘serious concerns and requests’ from athletes’ families as the primary reason for this decision.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has joined international calls for restraint, expressing particular concern over ‘significant civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure, and displacement on both sides.’
This recent violence represents the latest eruption in a century-old territorial dispute along the 800-kilometer border, originally demarcated following the French colonial occupation of Cambodia. The current clashes have expanded across multiple provinces in both nations, prompting travel advisories from several countries including the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan.